As part of Find Your Next Game, we want to introduce you to games you can spend many hours on that you might not have considered. They just have to fit your preferences. MyMMO editor Benedict Grothaus thought he would present you with 2 of his favorite games that have nothing to do with online gaming and that you surely don’t know.
Can you imagine playing together with friends without being separated by a screen? And no, this is not about offline games and couch co-op games. I’m talking about board games.
Yes, exactly what your parents played back in the day and what seemed terribly boring to you as a kid. But board games have evolved. Today, there are a variety of board games that are quite different from what you might expect.
Cooperative board games allow you to play with your friends instead of against them. No competitive thoughts, no ruined friendships, but a joyful evening together with a game board, dice, and figures.
Two of them have turned out to be our favorites in my circle of friends: Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness, both published in Germany by Asmodee. Today, I want to introduce you to two of my favorite games, explain why they are so good, and what they are doing on an MMO website.
Board games are like analog MMOs
Why should I care about this? Arkham Horror, Mansions of Madness, and many other cooperative board games fulfill the same criteria as online co-op games and MMOs:
- you can play them with friends
- it’s about teamwork, not competition
- coordination and communication lead to success
- they have a high replay value
There are even mechanics like classes, character sheets, and loot in the games. Strictly speaking, these features stem from the “tabletop” genre. Board games therefore appeal to the same interests as online co-op games.
I don’t just say that they are the “best” co-op games casually. If I had to choose between Arkham Horror and an online co-op game with the same players, I would always reach for the board game.
What makes the games better? You simply play them in a different atmosphere. Instead of sitting alone in front of your computer or staring at a screen, you sit across from your fellow players. This creates closeness and provides a more intimate atmosphere.
Facing great dangers brings people together, and you can laugh about mistakes much better when you see how the other person is ashamed of their error. No reason to go “tilting” right away.
Board games are simply less toxic, especially with the right players. After all, you tend to choose your friends in “real life” more carefully than in an ad-hoc online group.
Board games against the game – Not against the players
What kinds of games are these? Mansions of Madness and Arkham Horror both take place within the Cthulhu Mythos by American author H.P. Lovecraft. Together with friends, or even alone, you as investigators must unveil secrets and solve puzzles.
You will be sent to the dark city of Arkham and other areas at the beginning of the 20th century to confront dark powers and the “Great Old Ones”.
However, they have a problem: either they sleep and dream, or they are not really among us yet. Cults often form that try to wake the gods from their slumber or bring them into our world. You are to prevent that in the board games.
To play, you choose a character with special traits and abilities. Ideally, your team has a good mix of muscle and brains. But any combination brings variety to the game and ensures a new dynamic.
As a group, you then look for clues in a previously selected adventure and try to solve a given task. In the process, you interact with NPCs, fulfill side quests, and defeat enemies in combat.
Mansions of Madness changes while playing
How does a round in Mansions of Madness work? You start in a single room in a mansion, a museum, or another location you have been invited to. Someone asks you for help with a problem that you must solve as investigators – a missing person, a murder, or something similar.
Your goal is to explore the surroundings and find clues to solve the mystery. You have various actions available, such as:
- Movement and exploration
- Picking up and trading items
- Combat with various weapons and even magic
Your actions per round are limited, so you must coordinate exactly who should do what. At the end of each round, the game takes its turn, and something happens. Enemies may appear, or you experience horror episodes. If it feels like insects are suddenly crawling under your skin, it affects your mental health.
Fights and other “tests” are decided with special dice. These indicate whether you succeed or not. The values of your character in traits like agility or arcane knowledge help you with corresponding tests. Everyone is a specialist in at least one area.
What makes Mansions of Madness so special? As a special feature, Mansions of Madness relies on a companion app that you run on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. This narrates the story, determines the events in the round, and even provides musical accompaniment.
What’s even more important: the app determines what your game board looks like. Because in Mansions, you start with a single component of the plan and build from that continuously. You discover the map while playing.
There may even be instances where rooms get blocked or fires spread. Depending on the adventure, individual rooms or even the entire map may shift or realign. This way, you can approach an adventure differently every time and play it again.
Mansions of Madness also offers plenty of expansions. Most of them come with new investigators and adventures, some with new components. Through the app, you can also buy new adventures as DLC if you’ve completed everything else.
The base game and the expansions come with detailed plastic figures that you can move around the game board. This makes the world more tangible and allows you to dive deeper into the story.
Arkham Horror plays like a co-op strategy game
How does a round in Arkham Horror work? After selecting an adventure, you set up the game board according to the plan. After the start, you read the story cards. This explains what exactly is happening. However, you have to guess your mission – after all, you are investigators and should figure out what’s really going on in the city.
The story develops continuously and the world becomes increasingly dangerous. Even if you seem to be on the right track, luck can turn in a round, and you may find yourself close to defeat.
The goal is to find “clues” and prevent “corruption”. The story evolves depending on how many clues you find or how far the corruption progresses. Like in Mansions of Madness, you can perform various actions during your turn:
- Movement through the city
- Collecting money and trading items
- Fighting monsters and opponents
After your turn, you have the opportunity to interact with the location you are in. If you are in a shop, you can shop. If you are near a clue, you can try to obtain it.
At the end of a round, “event markers” are drawn, determining what happens next. The events can include:
- clues that appear
- corruption that spreads
- monsters appearing
- “headlines” that usually drive you all crazier
What makes Arkham Horror so special? Unlike Mansions of Madness, Arkham Horror features a “larger” game board. While you need less space and fewer components, you are playing in a entire city rather than just in a single house, temple, or similar.
You must always keep an eye on the entire city and coordinate who covers which area. Decide who has the task of defeating enemies, eliminating corruption, or collecting clues.
Even losing is fun
The games sound complicated and they are. Only by playing will you understand how exactly they work, but that’s part of the game principle. This also means: you will often lose.
In our 40 game sessions, we have perhaps won 10 times. Even after over 60 hours, we rarely complete a new adventure on the first try, at least not without cheating.
You can lose the game by not finding all clues in time. Each round is under time pressure, even if you can only estimate the time running out. This creates a constant feeling of urgency that complements the horror scenario.
Additionally, your investigators can die if they lose health points or “mental health”. What’s particularly interesting: if you go “insane” in Mansions of Madness, your victory condition may change.
You might get the urge to rob your fellow players or set fires. These are new situations that the entire group must adapt to. They usually lead to defeat for the team, but that’s the challenge of the games.
Ideal for fans of co-op and horror
Who are the games interesting for? Anyone who enjoys co-op games online and has a solid group for such activities should persuade their friends to have a board game night. Especially if you enjoy games with a lot of communication and joint planning, like Left 4 Dead, GTFO, or even raids and dungeons in MMOs, it’s worth a look.
Due to the setting, fans of oppressive horror games are also addressed. While you have less dark atmosphere and no “jump scares” due to the lack of graphical effects. Still, those who enjoy reading books like the Cthulhu saga will also find happiness with the games.
For a start, Arkham Horror is probably better suited, as it is a bit simpler to play. However, Mansions of Madness offers more variety and replay value. It is also more complex. The downside to the games is that they can be quite expensive:
- Mansions of Madness costs around €70 depending on the offer
- Arkham Horror costs about €55 depending on the offer
Here, only the base games are included. Personally, I own (almost) all the expansions and have probably paid over 400 euros for my entire collection.
